Mansfield Town sign winger Paul Anderson

Sports Reporter

Mansfield Town have strengthened their ranks with the signing of League One title-winner Paul Anderson.

The 28-year-old winger left Northampton Town at the end of the 2016/17 season and has now become boss Steve Evans’ latest addition to his new-look squad.

After swapping Hull City for Liverpool as a youngster, Anderson was a regular in their under 18s’ side which won the 2006 FA Youth Cup and his outstanding performances earned him a spot on the first team’s bench for their Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Benfica.

In an attempt to gain first team experience, Anderson joined then-League One side Swansea City in 2007/08 and enjoyed a superb season as he scored 10 goals in the Swans’ title-winning campaign.

The loanee was named as Swansea’s Young Player of the Year and manager Roberto Martinez made a move to sign the winger permanently, but faced competition from Championship side Nottingham Forest.

A season-long loan at the City Ground followed, before he signed permanently for Forest prior to the 2009/10 campaign for a fee of £250,000. They went on to win a spot in the Championship play-offs, with Anderson making 44 appearances, before appearing 38 times the following season, in another play-off campaign.

Anderson left Forest and joined Bristol City for a year, but then moved to Ipswich Town the following season, who held aspirations of returning to the Premier League.

In Anderson’s second season, they set up a play-off semi-final clash with local rivals Norwich City, in which he scored the equaliser in their 1-1 draw in the first leg.

He spent a season with Bradford in 2015/16 before making the Deadline Day switch to Northampton Town last September.

The 28-year-old scored seven goals in 38 appearances for the Cobblers as they secured a 16th-placed finish in their first season back in League One.

Speaking to www.mansfieldtown.net, Anderson said: “I said to my agent [previously] that if a League Two club had ‘come in’ for me, I probably wouldn’t have even listened to the offer.

“But the way this club is trying to go, with the way the chairman is pushing things forward, it made me want to be a part of it.

“I’m hoping to be here for the long term as opposed to the short term and hopefully be a part of a good journey,” he added.